Ashley's belle bump

About a month ago I had the amazing opportunity to photograph my dear friend Ashley’s baby bump.  Ashley is such a source of joy and inspiration to me- and when she asked me to photograph her growing belly I couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity.  This is one of the reasons why I love photography so much- it is such a blessing being able to record the most precious moments in people’s lives.  Ashley is a beautiful pregnant lady and is going to be an amazing momma!

My tagline for this one: “the fabric of our lives" 

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I've been hiding something...

Now that I’m up to date on our European travels, I thought that it was about time that I update you on another major life change that occurred while we were living overseas.  

You see, Glenn and I loved our time in the UK so much, that we decided we needed to bring home the ultimate souvenir to remember it by.  

I think we succeeded.  

Here’s the little bean- expected arrival: early April.

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Luxembourg and Germany

After a few days visiting my side of the family, G and I headed over to see G’s grandma, who lives right next to Ramstein AFB in Germany (An hour from Frankfurt).

LUXEMBOURG CITY

We were driving through Luxembourg City, so thought we’d get out a take a little tour. 

Here are a few fun facts about Luxembourg:

- It is the only country in the world to that is ruled by a grand duke.  (no kings here) However, his children are called princes and princesses.  

- If you are ever planning on moving to the area and want to speak in one of the official languages, then you have a choice between which language to brush up on.  Luxembourg actually has three official languages: German, French, and Luxembourgish (I did not make that last one up).  For those of you who have never heard of Luxembourgish (I hadn’t), its a mix between french and german and is actually considered to be the “language of the heart" for that country.  

- Luxembourg sells more alcohol, per capital, than any other European nation.  This is because the taxes are so low here that people drive from neighboring countries to stock up.  (No joke- we went into into the equivalent of a liquor outlet store that is less than a mile across the Belgian border) 

- Luxembourg is a famous tax haven, and has the highest GDP per capital in the world- it’s almost 3 times larger than the EU average 

- General Patton is buried in an American cemetery right outside of Luxembourg City.  There are over 5,000 WWII American soldiers buried there with him.

Where the Grand Duke and his family live.

For those of you who are curious- this is the royal family. (and no, I was not lucky enough to snap this shot.  I just stole it shamelessly off the internet)

DRAGONS TEETH - THE SIEGFRIED LINE

During WWII, Hitler had a line of concrete tank traps built that stretched along the German border from the Netherlands to Switzerland.  It was called the Siegfried Line, though, because of its appearance, it was later nicknamed the Dragon’s Teeth.  These tank traps consisted of large concrete triangles interspersed so that tanks could not drive through them.  The Nazis also placed land mines and barbed wire around them to slow down the enemy.  In the end, the Dragon’s Teeth failed, but many of them survive today, unintentional memorials of a devastating war.  Unlike the monuments or cemeteries that you would normally see, these Teeth have been mostly forgotten.  We came across these while driving through the Weinstrasse.  Farmers have cultivated fields around them, or planted trees to hide them, but regardless, they remain.  

WEINSTRASSE  

Glenn’s grandma took us down to the wine region in Germany.  It is a really beautiful part of the country and we had a great time touring around wine tasting.  

Soooo- check out these beauties-

Throughout their married life, G’s grandparents have collected various antique cars.  Grandma still has two with her in Germany.  These 1960s Mercedes is the same version that Grace Kelly used to drive. 

And THIS- is the gem.  This Rolls Royce is so beautiful!  They used to drive it in parades and for weddings a lot.  I think my dad and brother would drooled like crazy over her!

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The funny thing about sheep

No matter how cute…

or comical…

or quizzical they may seem,

in the end, they are just about the most ridiculous creatures I’ve ever come across.

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The Lakes

As I mentioned earlier, Glenn and I joined two of our friends, Kate and Ollie,  (they were our neighbors that I’ve mentioned several times in the past) on a trip up to the Lake District of England.  

The Lake District is located in northern England- just east of the Isle of Man.  The last time G and I went up to the area was in October 2010.  It was one of our all time favorite trips, and I’m so glad that we got to go again.

If you are interested in learning more about the Lakes, here’s an excerpt from my blog from the last time we went (slightly edited):

I’ll leave you with a few interesting facts about the area:

- This is where Beatrix Potter lived once she started selling her books. She bought a large piece of land with the proceeds of her books. You can see why she was so inspired!

- William Wordworth was born, raised and buried here. He believed it was the most beautiful place on earth (according to a plaque next to his grave)

- This is where Elizabeth Bennett was supposed to go with her aunt and uncle in Pride and Prejudice. Fortunately her plans changed or else the book would have been a bit anticlimactic.

- In addition to it’s amazing scenery, you can find some pretty cool remains left by the Romans and the Vikings. There are also several mysterious stone circles (similar but smaller than Stonehenge)

- Most importantly, this place has the best gingerbread I’ve ever tasted. Seriously- it’s amazing.

Here’s what G and I love about the area:

- It’s stunning.  It has mountains, lakes, stone walls, lazy sheep, and winding roads.

- It has a little something for everyone.  If you want to spend time being outdoorsie, then there are a plethora of options to choose from.  But you can also laze about on a boat, visit historic sites, spend your days shopping, eat your way around some amazing restaurants, or just sit and read a book.  Or, you can do all of those things, which we did :) 

- The area is quintessentially “English." 

This is one of the bed and breakfasts we stayed at.  

Isn’t is cozy?  If you are ever visiting the UK (or South Ireland) I will always, always, always, recommend staying at a local B&B.  It’s affordable and the best way to get a feel for the area.

Hey Kate!

I told you the Lakes were beautiful!

On our first day we toured one of the local breweries.  

The boys obviously enjoyed themselves!

Can you tell I had a mild love affair with the heather (the purple stuff)?

And what would a trip to the Lakes be if you didn’t actually making it out onto the Lakes?

Another day we came across a beautiful bird sanctuary.

One of the best things about the trip was spending some quality time with these two:

We loved “neighboring" with these guys and will definitely miss living near them!  Aren’t good friendships priceless?

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